Building Trust Through Effective Advocacy Systems
When I joined HubSpot as a former customer, I faced the unique challenge of modernizing an outdated customer reference system. In this blog post, I will share insights on how we transformed our advocacy processes, making them more efficient and impactful.
Understanding Advocacy Work
Advocacy is often perceived as simple administrative work. However, it involves intricate processes requiring emotional intelligence and keen discernment. My goal was to create a system that supported these complexities, ensuring no valuable contribution was lost.
The Hidden Efforts Behind Advocacy Success
Every organization benefits from unseen yet impactful work:
- Coordinators identifying potential issues early.
- Specialists remembering crucial customer contexts.
- Representatives enhancing match quality with detailed insights.
At HubSpot, our advocacy teams often operated in the shadows. The rebuild aimed to bring visibility and respect to their essential contributions.
The Role of AI in Supporting Human Efforts
As we revamped the reference process, it became clear that complexity arose from outdated systems. By streamlining 18 disjointed steps into five clear phases, we demonstrated how AI can enhance human judgment rather than replace it.
- HubSpot Workflows handled predictable tasks.
- Slack facilitated immediate communication.
- AI copilots helped validate matches, making the process more reliable.
By automating routine tasks, our teams could focus on what humans do best: building relationships and telling stories.
Transforming Stories into Scalable Systems
Our new system does more than streamline processes; it reshapes trust dynamics within the organization. Here are the key outcomes of this transformation:
1. Increased Reciprocity
Visibility into advocacy work naturally boosted participation. Teams were motivated by seeing the impact of their involvement.
2. Expanded Equity
Previously overlooked advocates emerged through objective criteria, enhancing overall involvement.
3. Strengthened Alignment
Sales, Success, and Marketing teams began utilizing shared information, breaking down silos and fostering collaboration.
Establishing a Reliable Data Foundation
An essential step in our rebuild was to establish a data-driven baseline. We identified key metrics for measuring advocacy success, including:
- Relationship maturity.
- Product adoption depth.
- Account health.
- Growth signals.
- Willingness to engage.
This foundation allowed us to quantify the influence of advocacy activities, providing crucial insights previously buried in disorganized data.
Building Effective Operational Structures
Once we stabilized our data layer, our focus shifted to operational design. We aimed for a clear process where:
- Actions had defined paths.
- Outcomes were measurable.
- Stakeholders could easily track requests.
This led to the development of structured workflows for intake, routing, and notifications, ensuring that every team member remains informed.
Scaling for Consistency and Transparency
To maintain trust, processes must be quick and clear. We implemented a standardized fulfillment sequence:
- Request → Route → Align → Activate → Frame → Fulfill
Each stage had assigned owners and purposes, ensuring that nothing relied on memory alone.
Fostering a Culture of Reciprocity
A supportive culture is vital for advocacy to thrive. We focused on recognition and genuine appreciation of the work put in by all team members. By publicly celebrating contributions, we transformed advocacy into a shared partnership rather than merely a transactional effort.
Conclusion: Designing Systems to Elevate People
In conclusion, our experience at HubSpot demonstrates that effective advocacy systems are built for people. By creating structures that respect time and expertise while reducing friction, we can foster trust and ensure that contributions are valued. Systems may track actions, but it’s essential to elevate the humans behind them for sustainable success.
Related Keywords: Advocacy systems, customer reference programs, trust-building strategies, AI in advocacy, operational efficiency, team collaboration, HubSpot insights.
